‘Those who trust in the Lord... cannot be moved...’. When we
put our trust in the Lord, we are like the ‘wise man who built his
house on the rock’. His house ‘did not fall because it had its
foundation on the rock’. When we do not put our trust in the Lord, we
are like ‘the foolish man who built his house on sand’. His house ‘fell
with a great crash’. ‘Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders
labour in vain’ (Psalm 125:1; Psalm 127:1; Matthew 7:24-27). ‘Jesus
Christ’ is the ‘sure Foundation’ upon which our faith is built. He is
‘the solid Rock’, our ‘mighty Rock of spiritual refreshment’ (1
Corinthians 3:11; 10:3-4; Church Hymnary, 10,411). ‘Christ died
for our sins... He was raised on the third day’. Let us rejoice in Him:
‘The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy’
(Psalm 126:3; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
In this post, I will draw comparisons between Arminius and Berkouwer. * Bangs points out that the historical situation in Holland was not a simple one - Calvinism coming in, Arminius nearly ruining it and the Synod of Dort restoring it: “The earliest Dutch Reformed leaders don’t seem to be Calvinists at all. They rise out of the soil, here and there, nurtured by the old Dutch biblical piety, not seized by dogmatic insights, but steadily pressing toward a purified life of faith according to Scripture” (p. 21). This emphasis is similar to Berkouwer’s insistence that election is not a special gnosis for the theological elite. Rather, it is a confession of faith, arising from the hearts of those who have come to know the grace of God ( Divine Election (DE), p. 216). * Bangs observes that Arminius’ theological method is “practical and through faith”: “For the Theology which belongs to this world, is practical and through faith: Theoretical Theology belongs to the o...
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